Saltines – Not Just For Upset Stomachs!

March 9, 2018

The lowly saltine is coming up in the world.

When I suffered through 3 months of morning sickness for each of my three children, saltines were about all I could keep down. Other than that, I’d have a couple with hot soup once in a while. Recently, however, I’ve eaten some delicious new dishes only to learn that one of the main ingredients were saltines! Saltines are useful in many courses and in many food groups, and my consumption is about to skyrocket! Consider the following:

Saltines in food prep:

Saltines make great substitutes for breadcrumbs. They crush easily and I think are tastier. They make a great crust on baked chicken or fish. Saltines are often added to meatloaf or meatball recipes in place of breadcrumbs.

Saltines as hors d’oeuvres:

One of my favorite hors d’oeuvres is a saltine with a piece of melted cheddar cheese with bacon crumbled on top. Spread saltines on a baking pan, put a slice of cheddar cheese on each one and run it under the broiler until cheese is just melted. Top with crumbled bacon and serve.

Another version of this is to spread your favorite peanut butter on saltines and top with crumbled bacon and serve. Delicious and so quick and easy!

Place ALL the saltines standing upright in the container. Mix oil, steak seasoning, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Drizzle over crackers as evenly as possible. Scrape everything out of the bowl onto the crackers. Seal container. Flip the container upside down and let sit for 5 minutes. Flip every 5 minutes for the next 30 minutes. You’re done! Store in container and they will stay crispy. Recipe & photo from www.taketwotapas.com

*All Purpose Steak Seasoning:

4 tablespoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons butcher grind black pepper

3 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoons smoked paprika

3 tablespoon granulated onion

2 tablespoon ground coriander

2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried mustard

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

Mix all ingredients, store in container until ready to use.

Saltines as sweets:

Saltine Caramel Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Add a layer of whole saltines.

Bring 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of butter to a boil. Continue boiling and stirring for about 4 minutes over medium heat. Pour that mixture over the saltines and using the back of wooden spoon, spread so it covers all saltines. Bake for about 4 – 8 minutes. It should bubble. Remove from oven and flatten any saltines that came out of position.
Immediately spread a bag of chocolate chips (I use dark!) over and use back of spoon to smooth over as they melt. Adding chopped pecans on top of the chocolate makes a nice presentation. These are beyond delicious!!

Peanut Butter Toffee Crackers:

44 Club Crackers, Or 40 saltines

¾ cup Unsalted Butter

¾ cup Granulated Sugar

½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter, Divided

1 11-ounce package White Chocolate Chips, Like Ghiradelli

Line a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner. Lay Club crackers in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add in sugar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling, add ¼ cup peanut butter and stir until smooth. Pour over crackers.

Place in oven on middle rack and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips with peanut butter. Microwave for one minute, stir until smooth. If not completely melted, heat for 15- second intervals, stirring each time to test for smoothness. Pour over slightly cooled (they can still be a little warm) toffee.

Cool completely (I put it in the refrigerator to speed set the toffee).

Once cooled, cut into bite sized pieces and enjoy. Store in airtight container.

Scoop your ice cream into a baking dish lined with plastic wrap and press it flat into about a ½ inch layer. Then re-freeze the ice cream in that layer. Once ice cream is frozen slice it into squares to fit the saltine crackers. Once made, the sandwiches can be stored in the freezer indefinitely, but they won’t last long! A good flavor ice cream to use is Cookies & Cream, but I’d try any flavor.